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(Nd Model.) 3 Sheets8heet I.

v J. 0. POTTER. EVENING MECHANISM FOR COTTON-OPENERS, 8w.

Patented Mar: 5, 1889.

INVENTOR,

WITWESSES,

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(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. C. POTTER. EVENING MECHANISM FOR OOTTON UPENERS, 670- NO. 399,076.

Patented Mar. 5, 1889.

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M .dttorney N. PETER5. PMQo-Lithugnphcr. wmin m. a. c.

(No Model.)

3 Shee1;s----Sheet;v 3. J. O. POTTER. I EVENING MECHANISM FOR COTTON OPENERS, &c. No. 399,076.

' Patented MarLB, 1889.

HHIH H l 1.7V VENTOR N. Perms, rhommm her, \vashingwn. D41? JAMES C. POTTER, OF PAlVlULFlUCl, RHODE ISLAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.-399,076, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed July 9, 1888, Serial No. 279,895. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JAMES C. POTTER, of Pawtueket, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Evening Mechanism for Cotton-Open ers and other Engines or Machines forlVorking Cotton and other Fibrous Materials, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation more particularly to the scalelevers which are generally used in evener mechanism for the purpose of transmitting the movement of the evenerplates or other evener devices over or under which the fibrous material passes on its way through the machine to the belt of the conedrums.

Heretot'ore, so far as I am informed, the levers which compose the scale-lever system have been fulcrumed one upon the other by knife-edges, those levers which are above or nearer to the evener-plates resting upon and bearing with their knife-edges against the lovers below or farther removed, all the levers which compose the system being carried by a single lever, known as the main scalelever. This arrangement involves a somewhat expensive construction, and is objectionable besides on various accounts. The expense is principally due to the factthat after the levers are cast their fulcrum-points must be ground to furnish the necessary knife-edge. Owing to the mannerin which they are arranged and titted together they have no positive connection with one another, and thus require extraneous lateral support of some kind to hold them in the same plane, and to prevent lateral wabbling of the systern. Thisis equally true whether the system is arranged in a vertical or in a horizontal plane. The contact between the scale-lever system and the lateral supporting devices I' therefor engenders friction, which interferes at times with the easy movement of the le- Vers, while the lateral supporting devices cover up the levers to a certain extent and prevent them from being readily got at and cleansed or brushed, as they must be in order to prevent them from becoming clogged or impeded by lint, dust, and the like. All of these objections, well as others which might be noted, are removed by my inveniion. i

The characteristic of my improvement is that the levers which compose the scale-lever system are suspended from above, instead of being supported from beneath, as has heretofore been customary. ly this arrangement I am enabled to do away with knife-edges, so that all grinding can be dispensed with, all that is needed in order to finish the castings being to tumble them in a tumbler or rattler, as it is sometimes called; and, as the scalelever system is suspended, it will hang in a vertical or substantially vertical plane without the aid of any lateral supports. The labor of fitting together the parts of the system is materially reduced, there is less liability of its getting out of order, and it is equally as sensitive and quick to respond to the slightest movement of the evener-plates as any of the most approved scale-lever systems heretofore in use.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of so much of a cottoiropener as needed to illustrate my invention, portions of the frame being broken away in order to more clearly expose to view the working parts. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, of the feed and evener rolls, plates, and levers, t0- get-her with some parts of the machine immediately adjacent thereto. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the scale-lever systemin connection with the mechanism which I on the whole prefer for transmitting the movement of the system to the cone-drum belt-shipper.

A is the frame of the machine.

B is a combined evener and feed-roll supported in fixed bearings.

C is a feed-roll which co-operates with roll B for feeding purposes, and is held up against the same with yielding pressure by pivoted weighted levers a, which, through the sliding pins I), bear upward against the verticallymovable journal-boxes c of the roll G,

D are evener-plates, which co-operate with roll B for evening purposes. This combination of evener-plates and a feed-roll with a combined eveucr and feet-roll is not here claimed by me, but the subject of my applieati on for Letters Patent, Serial No. 266,512, filed March 8, 1888. So far my present improvement is concerned I, of course, am not limited to this particular combination. Any other construction and arrangement of the evener devices between which the cotton passes on its way to the beater can be availed of without aifecting my invention.

E is the knife-edge bar on which the even erplates are fulerumed.

F is the feed-trough, and G is the feedapron.

Vith a view to readily adjust the knifeedge bar I prefer to secure its ends in brackets II, which are mounted and swivel on the ends of the axle d of the front roller of the feedapron. The bracket can be secured in adjusted position by a set or clamping screw, 6, which passes through two slots, ,7, the one in the bracket and the other in the side of the feed-trough, which cross one another at right angles.

The arms or extensions 15 of the evenerplates which connect with the scale-leversystem can be attached to the plates either side of their fulcrum. I prefer, however, that these arms should start from the plates at a point in front of the fulcrum, passing down below the knife-edge bar, and thence extending horizontally out beyond the front wall, A, of the frame of the machine, as shown. By this arrangement I gain in compactness without detracting from efficiency, and, what is even more material, I am enabled to insert and remove the plates and their arms with great ease and without disturbing other parts of: the machine. The tail g of each evenerplate back of the fulcrum is short, and is so shaped that it will bring up against the knifeedge bar when the plate itself is adjusted, so that it is in contact with the roll 13.

The numberof evener-plates used can. of course vary. In the machine illustrated in the drawings there are supposed to be sixteen plates, or, rather, eight pairs of plates. The arms D of each pair of plates are connected to opposite ends of the small scale-levers I of the top row of the scale-lever system by links h, each of which hooks over its arm D and under that armor end of the lever I to which it is to be connected. Levers I- are by si1nilar hooks, h, connected in pairs to the ends of the larger scale-levers, I, of the next row, and so on to the still larger levers,I and the main scale-lever I Each lever is formed-at its ends with rounded recesses or hook-like portions, under. which the ends of the connecting'links from above catch,- and at its center with a like recess, over which the link from below catches. All of the levers can be readily cast in this shape, and when once cast require no other finishing than that hereinbefore mentioned. The connecting-hooks also can be readily and cheaply made, so that the expense of the system as a whole is but comparatively little. Manifestly,'the parts can be more easily fitted together, and when once connected cannot well get out of order or adjustment. The scale-lever system hangs down under the f eed-trough an d outside of the front W ng A of the frame of the machine. It is therefore out of the way in a position where it is shielded to great extent from dust and lint, but where at the same time it is entirely open to access, so that the workman can readily get at it to brush or dust it from time to time.

The main scale-lever can impart its movement to the cone-belt shipper through the intermediary of any suitable instrumcntalities, of which a large variety are now in use. The particular mechanism shown by me in the drawings is, however, that which I prefer.

From an eye, t', at the center of the main scalelever is suspended by ahook a bracket, J, which supports the lever K, fulerumed at j to the front wall of the frame by a stud, is, which passes through a longitudinal slot, Z, in the lever. The lever preferably rests upon the end of a set-screw, on, with which the bracket is provided, the end of said screw being pointed and entering a plain but similarly-pointed socket in the under side of the lever. By meansof this screw the initial adjustment of the lever (and consequently of the cone-belt) can be effected. A check-nut, m, holds the set-screw in its adjusted position. A weight, n, on the lever holds it down. The free end of the lever is forked and straddles the end of an arm, 0, fixed on a shaft, 0', journaled in the cone-drum box A and having fixed to it at an appropriate pointa shorter arm, 19, which, by a link, 1', is connected to the crank-arm of one of the pivoted belt-shippers L, these shippers being geared together as usual at their abutting ends, so as to move in unison.

M N are the upper and lower cone-drums. The belt connecting them is omitted to avoid confusing the parts.

It will be noted that the cone-drum box extends up alongside of that portion of the frame of the machine where one of the end brackets for supporting the knife-edge bar is located. In practice, however, there is a space of some six inches between these parts, leaving ample room for the workman to get at the bracket.

Having described my improvement and the best way'now known to me of carrying the same into effect, what I claim herein as new and ofmy own invention is as follows:

1 A scale-lever system comprising sealelevers having connecting-links, whereby the levers below are suspended from those next above, in combination with evener-arms and links whereby the topmost scale-levers are connected to and suspended from said arms, substantially as and for the purposes herein-. before set forth.

2. I11 combination with the evener arms, the scale-lever system comprising scale-levers and connecting-links, whereby the levers below are suspended from those next above and the topmost scale-levers are connected to and suspended from said arms, said scale-lever system being located outside of the front wall of the 'machine and under the feed-trough,

' substantially as set forth.

the knife-edge bar, its swi'veled adjustable ism connected to and operated by the mainsupporting-braekets, andmeans for securing scale lever, all substantially as and for the said brackets in adjusted position, substanpurposes hereinbefore set forth. 15 5 tielly as and for the purposes hereinhe'lore In testimony whereof I have hereunto set set forth. i my hand this 53d day of July, A. D. 1888.

4. The combination of the evener-plates and i 1 iv i arms, the suspended scale-lever system con- Pol nected to said arms and having the scale-le- 1o vers below suspended from those next above,

3. The combination of the owner-plates, I shipper, andbelt-shipperactuating mechan- \Vitnesses: I

A. T. ATHERTON,

the vane-drums, cone-drum belt, and belt- 04 T. ATHERTON. 

